| 1. |
- Chotai, Jayanti, et al.
(author)
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A dual vulnerability hypothesis for seasonal depression is supported by the seasonal pattern assessment questionnaire in relation to the temperament and character inventory of personality in a general population.
- 2004
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In: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 82:1, s. 61-70
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Personality structure obtained from the psychobiological Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was studied in relation to self-reported seasonal variations in mood and behavior measured by the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). METHODS: The subjects comprised 1761 adults (57.6% women) in the age range 35-85 years, enrolled in the Betula prospective random cohort study of Umea, Sweden. RESULTS: Personality profiles of subjects who reported the occurrence of a high degree of seasonal variation as such were associated with a combination of high self-transcendence (ST) and high persistence (PS), irrespective of the level of harm avoidance (HA). Subjects who reported feeling worst in winter were associated with high HA, irrespective of the levels of ST and PS. Also, subjects feeling worst in summer or experiencing overall problems with seasonal variation were associated with high HA in their personality profiles. Using the SPAQ criteria to define seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or subsyndromal SAD (S-SAD), subjects with these disorders often had combinations of high self-transcendence (ST) and high persistence (PS), but with different associations with HA. LIMITATIONS: No evaluations were made for SAD or subsyndromal SAD according to the DSM-IV or ICD 10 criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Our results relating SPAQ with TCI give support for a dual vulnerability hypothesis for seasonal depression proposed in the literature, where it is attributed to a combination of a seasonal factor and a depression factor. Examining the literature regarding the relationships between the different TCI scales and monoamine neurotransmitter functions, those relationships suggest that these two vulnerability factors for seasonal depression may be modulated by different neurotransmitter systems.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Chotai, Jayanti, et al.
(author)
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An epidemiological study on gender differences in self-reported seasonal changes in mood and behaviour in a general population of northern Sweden.
- 2004
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In: Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0803-9488 .- 1502-4725. ; 58:6, s. 429-37
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Gender differences have been reported regarding symptoms, prevalence and heritability of seasonal affective disorders (SAD). We focus on gender aspects in this study of self-reported seasonal changes in mood and behaviour in a general population. The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) was completed by 2620 adults (55.6% women) aged 35-85 years, enrolled in the Betula prospective random cohort study of Umeå, Sweden. October to February turned out to be suitable winter months. SAD was found in 2.2% and sub-syndromal SAD (S-SAD) in 5.7%. Women had about 1.5 times higher prevalences than men, and seasonality problems decreased with age in both genders. Preference for eating least was distributed with a peak in summer, whereas preference for eating most had a major peak in winter (winter eaters) and a minor peak in summer (summer eaters). Significantly more of winter eaters in women, and significantly more of summer eaters in men, felt worst in winter. Seasonal change in weight was considered significantly as a problem by women but not by men. Winter behaviour of sleeping most was considered significantly as a problem by men but not by women. Women reacted significantly to temperature-related changes (negatively to cold/short days and positively to hot/long days), whereas men reacted significantly to sunshine-related changes (negatively to cloudy days and positively to sunny days). Subtle gender differences may thus underlie the pathophysiology of seasonal problems. Studies of an eventual efficacy of treating SAD women with raised ambient temperature, and gender-specific comparisons with other therapies, would be of interest.
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| 4. |
- Chotai, Jayanti, et al.
(author)
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Anticipation in Swedish families with schizophrenia.
- 1995
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In: Psychiatric Genetics. - 0955-8829 .- 1473-5873. ; 5:4, s. 181-6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nineteen parent-offspring pairs obtained from 14 two-generation families with available medical records and diagnosis of schizophrenia were studied to compare the ages of onset of the parent generation with those of the offspring generation. The mean age of onset for the parent generation was 37.3 +/- 6.0 years and for the offspring generation was 20.8 +/- 4.4. The mean difference was thus 16.5 +/- 6.2, suggesting the occurrence of anticipation in schizophrenia (p < 0.001). Although some ascertainment biases (like reduced fertility in early-onset parents or early detection of symptoms in offsprings of affected parents) may partially contribute to the occurrence of anticipation, this study replicates recent reports of anticipation in several neuropsychiatric disorders, some of which have been shown to be associated with unstable expansions of trinucleotide repeats in the genomic DNA.
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| 5. |
- Chotai, Jayanti, et al.
(author)
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Converging evidence suggests that monoamine neurotransmitter turnover in human adults is associated with their season of birth.
- 2002
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In: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0940-1334 .- 1433-8491. ; 252:3, s. 130-4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Separate studies on adults, including those in suicidology and another regarding personality in the general population, have indicated associations with their season of birth. We analyse each of these studies by multiple nonlinear regression employing a cosine function for the month of birth, and compare these studies regarding the birth months giving the maxima and minima. The method of suicide in suicide studies shows a significant month-of-birth variation similar to that for the serotonin metabolite 5-HIAA in the separate study on cerebrospinal fluid, with a peak around the birth month September and a nadir around birth in March. When comparing the personality study with the study on cerebrospinal fluid, the trait novelty seeking varies similar to that for the dopamine metabolite HVA or the norepinephrine metabolite MHPG, and the trait reward dependence varies similar to that for HVA. The trait self-transcendence varies similar to the ratio of the dopamine and serotonin metabolites. Dopamine turnover in adults thus shows a peak around the birth months November-December, and a nadir around the birth months May-June, suggesting a possible involvement of the length of photoperiod during their perinatal period. These results provide strong evidence for the influence of season of birth on adult monoamine neurotransmitter turnover, and give further support for the monoaminergic modulation of the temperament and character traits.
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| 6. |
- Chotai, Jayanti, et al.
(author)
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Season of birth variations in the temperament and character inventory of personality in a general population.
- 2001
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In: Neuropsychobiology. - 0302-282X .- 1423-0224. ; 44:1, s. 19-26
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Since several studies show season of birth variations in morbidity, suicidal behavior and CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) monoamine metabolites, we investigated season of birth variations in personality in the population. METHODS: We analyzed by multiple logistic regressions the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) for 2,130 individuals taking part in the Betula prospective random cohort study of Umeå, Sweden. RESULTS: The personality dimensions were correlated significantly with age and gender. We stratified the data according to age, gender and the season of TCI measurement. By the median split in each stratum, a high-value group and a low-value group were obtained for each of the personality dimensions. Those born during February to April were significantly more likely than those born during October to January to have high NS (novelty seeking) among women, particularly the subscale NS2 (impulsiveness vs. reflection), and to have high PS (persistence) among men. Temperament profiles also showed season of birth variations. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the associations in the literature between personality and the monoamines serotonin and dopamine, and suggest that our results are compatible with a hypothesis of season of birth variation in the monoamine turnover. The personality traits are likely to be influenced by several genetic and environmental factors, one of them being the season of birth.
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| 7. |
- Chotai, Jayanti, et al.
(author)
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The Temperament Scale of Novelty Seeking in adolescents shows an association with season of birth opposite to that in adults.
- 2002
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In: Psychiatry Research. - 0165-1781 .- 1872-7123. ; 111:1, s. 45-54
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We investigated the relationship between season of birth and the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory of Personality (Junior TCI, JTCI) in adolescents. The Temperament Scale of Novelty Seeking (NS) is significantly higher for females born during October-January as compared to females born otherwise. This association is opposite to that obtained earlier for adults. For both genders pooled, NS is significantly higher for those born during October-March compared to April-September. This association is also found when examining the data for those of age up to 18 years in a third independent study on the age range 11-81 years with the adult TCI. There is a greater tendency for exploration and risk-taking behavior as the child individuates from the family. Our study suggests that the effects of such environmental and developmental changes on personality are different in those born during October-March as compared to those born during April-September. The former show a higher rise in NS during adolescence and a steeper fall in NS during the years of adulthood, compared to the latter. Dopamine turnover is likely associated with NS, and the mutually inhibitory systems of dopamine and melatonin are the paracrine signals of day and night, respectively. Thus, the maternal entrainment of these systems during the prenatal period, or the postnatal environmental influence on these systems, may be different for those born during the short photoperiod of October-March as compared to those born during the long photoperiod part of the year.
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| 8. |
- Engström, C, et al.
(author)
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Anticipation in unipolar affective disorder.
- 1995
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In: Journal of Affective Disorders. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 35:1-2, s. 31-40
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Anticipation describes an inheritance pattern within a pedigree with an increase in disease severity and/or decrease in age at onset in successive generations. The phenomenon of anticipation has recently been shown to be correlated with the expansion of trinucleotide repeat sequences in a neuromuscular disease, various neurodegenerative disorders and mental retardation. We have studied parent-offspring differences in age at onset and disease severity in 31 pairs with unilineal inheritance of unipolar affective disorder (UPAD). Life-table analyses showed a significant decrease in survival to 1st episode of major depression in the offspring generation compared with the parental generation (P = 0.0007). There was also a significant difference in age at onset (P < 0.001) between parents and offsprings. The offspring generation experienced onset 15.6 years earlier and illness 1.5 x more severe than did the parent generation. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation (P < 0.05) in age at onset between parent and offspring generations. When we excluded pairs where the affected parent has an age of onset greater than the age of the child at the time of ascertainment (i.e., 23 pairs left), there was still a significant (P = 0.02) decrease in age at onset (8.4 years) and 1.5 x more severe disease in the offspring generation. No evidence for specific maternal or paternal inheritance was found. We found evidence of anticipation in 75-80% of this sample of unilineal family pairs of UPAD. Anticipation is, thus, an inheritance pattern in a large group of UPAD which suggests that the expansion of trinucleotide repeat sequences is a possible mode of inheritance in this group of UPAD. The findings of anticipation in this study of families with UPAD and previous findings in families with BPAD suggest that the variable expression of unstable expansions of trinucleotide repeats may turn out to be the basis of the continuum of liability in affective disorders.
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| 9. |
- Nylander, P O, et al.
(author)
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Anticipation in Swedish families with bipolar affective disorder.
- 1994
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In: Journal of Medical Genetics. - 0022-2593 .- 1468-6244. ; 31:9, s. 686-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Anticipation describes an inheritance pattern within a pedigree with an increase in disease severity or decrease in age at onset or both in successive generations. The phenomenon of anticipation has recently been shown to be correlated with the expansion of trinucleotide repeat sequences in different disorders. We have studied differences of age at onset and disease severity between two generations in 14 families with unilinear inheritance of bipolar affective disorder (BPAD). There was a significant difference in age at onset (p < 0.008), in episodes per year with (p < 0.006) and without (p < 0.03) lithium treatment, and in total episodes per year (p < 0.002) between generations I and II. Furthermore, there was a highly significant correlation (p < 0.001) in age at onset between generations I and II. No evidence for specific paternal or maternal inheritance was found. We found evidence of anticipation and could rule out ascertainment bias or some other artefact. Anticipation is thus an inheritance pattern in BPAD which suggests that the expansion of trinucleotide repeat sequences is a possible mode of inheritance in BPAD.
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